DHAKA: Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman was laid to rest in Dhaka yesterday after thousands of mourners took part in funeral prayers for one of the country’s most respected politicians. Rahman died on Wednesday, aged 84, in Singapore where he was being treated for kidney and respiratory problems. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called the death “an irreparable loss to the country”.
Ninjas gather for Tokyo meet
TOKYO: More than 200 ninjas from around the world gathered at a Tokyo gymnasium yesterday for a two-day training seminar for women. Disciples of Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi, the founder of the Bujinkan school, gathered from more than 17 countries at the Tokyo Budo-kan martial arts gymnasium to sharpen their self-defence skills. Modern-day ninjas are people with normal jobs who practise self-defence skills, or “ninjutsu”.
Singapore denies tax haven claims
SINGAPORE: Singapore yesterday rejected a whistleblower’s allegations that its banks facilitate massive tax evasion by a powerful family in neighbouring Malaysia’s Sarawak state.
London-based Global Witness triggered uproar with a “sting” video in which a person posing as a foreign businessman is negotiating with purported relatives and associates of state chief Taib Mahmud.
In one part of the clip, a man introduced as a Taib family lawyer calls Singapore “the new Switzerland” with a “China Wall” protecting the identities of Malaysian depositors.
Defence minister nominee resigns
SEOUL: In a fresh blow to South Koreans President Park Geun-Hye, her nominee for defence minister stepped down yesterday at a time of elevated military tensions with North Korea. Since his nomination, Kim Byung-Kwan, a retired four-star general, had been dogged by allegations of wrongdoing related to his recent stint working as a broker for an arms trading firm.
First Lady an Internet hit
BEIJING: With a smile on her face, dressed in a simple black peacoat and carrying an elegant unbranded bag, China’s new First Lady, Peng Liyuan, stepped into the international limelight yesterday and became an instant Internet sensation back home. Stepping off the aircraft in Moscow, the first stop of President Xi Jinping’s maiden foreign trip, Peng’s glamorous appearance and obvious affection for her portly husband caused Chinese microbloggers to swoon.
No 2 yakuza jailed in Japan
TOKYO: A “one-eyed” gangster, the number-two man in Japan’s biggest yakuza crime organisation, was convicted of extortion yesterday, winning a high-profile victory for the anti-mob police.
Kiyoshi “Mekkachi” Takayama, 65, who reputedly lost the use of his eye in a sword fight early in his career, was jailed for six years. His underworld nickname of “Mekkachi” means “one-eyed” in the dialect of western Japan.
Agencies
